Stair Runner Carpet Updates – A Beautiful Mess

One of the features we love most about our historic home from 1904 is the entryway. Since we had our floors refinished before moving in, we also removed the stair runner that was previously there.

We knew we wanted something clean and fresh that matched with the era of our home. Before we even moved in, one of my nieces asked if she could take her prom photos on these stairs—which is probably the greatest compliment a staircase can receive, don’t you think?

We wanted to bring her back to her historic glory!

More Home Decor Posts: What Increases the Value of Your Home?, Finding the Perfect White Paint for Your Home, How We Built a Hidden Room, Library Dining Room, or you can see all my past room tours.

The History and Transformation of Our Staircase

Our beautiful staircase was built in the 1920s when our home was rebuilt after a fire that destroyed almost the entire home. That is why many of the features in our home feel more 1920s even though the home was built in 1904.

And a side note for my fellow ghost-obsessed readers: No, no one was killed in the fire.

Now a little bit about the transformation! We knew we wanted to keep the beautiful unpainted wood, so we planned everything else around that.

When choosing the light and dark colors for our entryway stain, we chose a dark color that could blend seamlessly with the staircase’s original wood. When choosing a carpet, we chose something neutral since the patterned floors are already a statement.

I have ordered an amazing piece of art to go at the top of the first stair landing, but it hasn’t arrived yet. Oh … and can you imagine this space at CHRISTMAS?

The Process of Choosing a Runner

I chose our carpet runner in person at The Carpet Shoppe in Springfield, Missouri. This was my first time to choose carpet for a home (that can’t be right, but I’m pretty sure it is!).

I wanted to get antique rugs to create a runner, but since we were on a timeline and wanted to get the house prepped before we moved in, I decided to choose from a carpet they had in stock. Note: The Carpet Shoppe did not give me any type of discount, but I would recommend them to local readers because they were really nice and easy to work with.

I truly, madly, deeply wanted to go with a deep red OR a deep green for the carpet runner. My husband was nervous that I am creating a too-literal 1990s Home Alone house and voted for something neutral.

In the end, we went with a light color that looks great on the dark wood, but also has a lot of pattern to spot clean and hide any stains that occur.

I know I will get questions (and probably judgment) about the choice to get a light carpet runner. I will be honest with you that we were in a time crunch and it was the only compromise that we seemed to both love.

I completely understand that I may regret this choice at some point, but I have also had many light rugs in my home in the past that the Internet told me would get stained and they ended up being fine.

Bottom line: I’m fine with the risk, so don’t stress on my behalf. If I have to replace them (hopefully very far in the future), I will get to do my antique rug idea at that time. Maybe something like this?

How Much Did a New Carpet Runner Cost?

The total cost for the custom carpet runner and installation was $2,700. The cost for the stair runner rods (hardware) was $1,150. The grand total was $3,850.

Stair Runner Rods

I have always admired stair runner rods. Admittedly, they are mostly aesthetic since the carpet can be fully secured without them. I chose to add them because of the historic theme of my home and they are a detail that may have been present in the original design.

I think they are absolutely beautiful and add so much detail to the stair runner.

Stair runner rods come in all different colors, but for me there was never really another choice besides gold or brass. Here is a link to the exact stair runner bars I used.

Here are some more star runner rods with various prices and finishes:

I am planning to share about our wood floors in another post soon. Let me know if you have any questions whether about the carpet runner or the floors. I am thrilled with how they both turned out.

I have to tell you, I am having the BEST time setting up this home for our family. I am envisioning so many happy years here creating, hosting, and watching the kids grow up.

We’re incredibly happy, so thank you so much for your support and kindness during this season of change for us! Love, Elsie

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